Between the Earth and the Divine
14 March 2025
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Swinging chandeliers - more than a lighting solution
By Catherine Milner, Treasure House Fair Magazine Editor
Chandeliers are more than mere lights; they are suspended somewhere between the earthly realm and the divine. Their grandeur can define an interior, casting not only light but a mesmerising interplay of shadow and brilliance akin to the stars in the sky. For collectors, each chandelier tells a story of craftsmanship, innovation, and historical significance.
The word “chandelier” originates from the French chandelle (candle), a homage to its earliest incarnations—wooden crosses holding flickering flames in medieval churches. As technology advanced, so chandeliers evolved. In the 1600s, they began as metal and wire frames adorned with rock crystal beads and rosettes.
By the 1700s they were revolutionised by the invention of leaded glass, which was clearer and could be more finely chiselled, creating the dazzling glass waterfalls that continue to captivate collectors today.
The gas-lit fixtures of the mid-1800s gave way to the electric revolution of the late 19th century, ushering in a new era of dazzling innovation with ever more baroque styles incorporating floral, mythological, and even Egyptian motifs.
As Giles Forster from Adrian Alan Limited remarks: “The apotheosis of chandeliers came in the late 19th century with the advent of electricity. The biggest collectors were the maharajas of India, who commissioned chandeliers of breathtaking scale and opulence”.
An ormolu and crystal glass Baccarat chandelie, Late 19th century
Image courtesy of Adrian Alan
In the early 20th century Tiffany introduced the stained-glass chandelier, blending Art Nouveau elegance with luminous colour; a style sharply curtailed by the Bauhaus movement between the wars with its minimalist forms, while mid-20th century modern designs combined traditional and unconventional materials to create bold, brassy abstract pieces.
Today’s chandeliers integrate LED technology, allowing for dynamic lighting effects at the mere wave of a hand or a stern word to Siri.
Yet for collectors, it is the Georgian crystal chandeliers that still remain at the pinnacle of desirability.
At the heart of these dazzling works was an intricate and labour-intensive process—each crystal prism meticulously hand-cut and polished from fine leaded glass. The elaborate, weight-bearing structures of cut crystal, festooned with hanging pendants balanced simplicity with elegant detail.
Candles and glass were highly taxed in the 18th century, elevating chandeliers and dining after dark to the ultimate status symbol.
But to economise on materials without compromising grandeur, designers developed the “tent and bag” style, in which triangular-cut glass cascaded into a lower “bag” of delicate glass buttons. This innovation ensured maximum radiance with minimal glass, an ingenious balance of luxury and practicality.
Few names in the world of chandeliers are as revered as Baccarat. Founded in 1764, this French glassworks earned the title of making the “crystal of kings,” crafting breathtaking pieces for European royalty as well as the King of Persia and the Queen of Siam.
Baccarat’s most prized chandeliers date from the late 19th century, a period when the house’s designs reached their zenith. One of their most extraordinary creations—a towering thirteen-foot candelabrum for seventy-nine candles—dazzled visitors at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878.
Exposition Universelle 1867 Paris
Image courtesy of Adrian Alan
At the same time, ormolu chandeliers—luxurious gilded bronze fixtures—were a hallmark of aristocratic and royal residences in 18th and 19th-century Europe, particularly in France. The term "ormolu" (from the French or ormolu, meaning "ground gold") refers to a technique where high-carat gold was finely ground and applied to bronze using mercury, resulting in pieces of lavish wonder.
Still highly coveted among collectors, ormolu chandeliers feature mythological figures and scrolling foliage.
The art of chandelier-making continues to evolve and is currently undergoing a renaissance. Recently, at Venice’s Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark’s Square, an exhibition was held bringing together eleven internationally acclaimed artists, including Joseph Kosuth, Kengo Kuma, and Philippe Starck, who have collaborated with Murano’s master glassmakers to create masterpieces of contemporary chandelier making. Meanwhile, Nicola Anthony’s sculptural spiral-bound word chandeliers, available through Long-Sharp Gallery, redefine this centuries-old form through a lens of contemporary artistic expression.
Digit Light, artista Emmanuel Babled, maestro Marino Gabrielli, c Nason Moretti. Photo by Giorgio Bombieri.
Image courtesy of Venice Glass Week
For collectors seeking timeless elegance, dealers such as Adrian Alan, Fileman Antiques and Butchoff Antiques offer some of the world’s finest examples of antique chandeliers. Rose Uniacke is currently selling a chandelier designed by W.A.S. Benson one of the key figures in the British Arts and Craft movement. Inspired by mistletoe, the ‘golden bough’ has always been held sacred for its association with vitality and has particularly powerful resonance when captured so poetically in brass.
Whether you are drawn to the grandeur of 18th-century crystal, the elegance of ormolu, or the bright and often fantastical new interpretations of today, collecting chandeliers is more than acquiring lighting—it is preserving craftsmanship and the beauty of human ingenuity through the ages.
A Rare Brass Chandelier by W.A.S. Benson
Image courtesy of Rose Uniacke
By Catherine Milner, Treasure House Fair Magazine Editor
Chandeliers are more than mere lights; they are suspended somewhere between the earthly realm and the divine. Their grandeur can define an interior, casting not only light but a mesmerising interplay of shadow and brilliance akin to the stars in the sky. For collectors, each chandelier tells a story of craftsmanship, innovation, and historical significance.
The word “chandelier” originates from the French chandelle (candle), a homage to its earliest incarnations—wooden crosses holding flickering flames in medieval churches. As technology advanced, so chandeliers evolved. In the 1600s, they began as metal and wire frames adorned with rock crystal beads and rosettes.
By the 1700s they were revolutionised by the invention of leaded glass, which was clearer and could be more finely chiselled, creating the dazzling glass waterfalls that continue to captivate collectors today.
The gas-lit fixtures of the mid-1800s gave way to the electric revolution of the late 19th century, ushering in a new era of dazzling innovation with ever more baroque styles incorporating floral, mythological, and even Egyptian motifs.
As Giles Forster from Adrian Alan Limited remarks: “The apotheosis of chandeliers came in the late 19th century with the advent of electricity. The biggest collectors were the maharajas of India, who commissioned chandeliers of breathtaking scale and opulence”.
An ormolu and crystal glass Baccarat chandelie, Late 19th century
Image courtesy of Adrian Alan
In the early 20th century Tiffany introduced the stained-glass chandelier, blending Art Nouveau elegance with luminous colour; a style sharply curtailed by the Bauhaus movement between the wars with its minimalist forms, while mid-20th century modern designs combined traditional and unconventional materials to create bold, brassy abstract pieces.
Today’s chandeliers integrate LED technology, allowing for dynamic lighting effects at the mere wave of a hand or a stern word to Siri.
Yet for collectors, it is the Georgian crystal chandeliers that still remain at the pinnacle of desirability.
At the heart of these dazzling works was an intricate and labour-intensive process—each crystal prism meticulously hand-cut and polished from fine leaded glass. The elaborate, weight-bearing structures of cut crystal, festooned with hanging pendants balanced simplicity with elegant detail.
Candles and glass were highly taxed in the 18th century, elevating chandeliers and dining after dark to the ultimate status symbol.
But to economise on materials without compromising grandeur, designers developed the “tent and bag” style, in which triangular-cut glass cascaded into a lower “bag” of delicate glass buttons. This innovation ensured maximum radiance with minimal glass, an ingenious balance of luxury and practicality.
Few names in the world of chandeliers are as revered as Baccarat. Founded in 1764, this French glassworks earned the title of making the “crystal of kings,” crafting breathtaking pieces for European royalty as well as the King of Persia and the Queen of Siam.
Baccarat’s most prized chandeliers date from the late 19th century, a period when the house’s designs reached their zenith. One of their most extraordinary creations—a towering thirteen-foot candelabrum for seventy-nine candles—dazzled visitors at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1878.
Exposition Universelle 1867 ParisImage courtesy of Adrian Alan
At the same time, ormolu chandeliers—luxurious gilded bronze fixtures—were a hallmark of aristocratic and royal residences in 18th and 19th-century Europe, particularly in France. The term "ormolu" (from the French or ormolu, meaning "ground gold") refers to a technique where high-carat gold was finely ground and applied to bronze using mercury, resulting in pieces of lavish wonder.
Still highly coveted among collectors, ormolu chandeliers feature mythological figures and scrolling foliage.
The art of chandelier-making continues to evolve and is currently undergoing a renaissance. Recently, at Venice’s Procuratie Vecchie in St. Mark’s Square, an exhibition was held bringing together eleven internationally acclaimed artists, including Joseph Kosuth, Kengo Kuma, and Philippe Starck, who have collaborated with Murano’s master glassmakers to create masterpieces of contemporary chandelier making. Meanwhile, Nicola Anthony’s sculptural spiral-bound word chandeliers, available through Long-Sharp Gallery, redefine this centuries-old form through a lens of contemporary artistic expression.
Digit Light, artista Emmanuel Babled, maestro Marino Gabrielli, c Nason Moretti. Photo by Giorgio Bombieri.Image courtesy of Venice Glass Week
For collectors seeking timeless elegance, dealers such as Adrian Alan, Fileman Antiques and Butchoff Antiques offer some of the world’s finest examples of antique chandeliers. Rose Uniacke is currently selling a chandelier designed by W.A.S. Benson one of the key figures in the British Arts and Craft movement. Inspired by mistletoe, the ‘golden bough’ has always been held sacred for its association with vitality and has particularly powerful resonance when captured so poetically in brass.
Whether you are drawn to the grandeur of 18th-century crystal, the elegance of ormolu, or the bright and often fantastical new interpretations of today, collecting chandeliers is more than acquiring lighting—it is preserving craftsmanship and the beauty of human ingenuity through the ages.
A Rare Brass Chandelier by W.A.S. BensonImage courtesy of Rose Uniacke